No escape from L. A.

Ohio rest areas, by and large, are pretty decent.

This one is fairly small, but that actually makes sense. It's not on an Interstate, so they don't really expect us to be crowding into it. And tonight we haven't. Past eight o' clock and a few empty truck spaces left.

I've always appreciated empty parking spaces. But in California I developed a new respect for them.

New experiences
I've never been to California before this month. Never further west than Durango. In my life. My folks preferred the "Family Inn" theory of lodging, and we had no relatives past there.

And the Company doesn't send solo drivers that far very often. A team can get there in half the time, and they can charge you more for the speed.

But sometimes they have a load going that far for a customer in no hurry. And it's a LOT of miles. And we do get paid by the mile. So...

Four days later
I arrived in Los Angeles,  dropped a trailer full of Stuff, and learned the customer had no empties. So I let my dispatcher know, then sat a Long Time. Finally (finally!) they sent me to a rail yard to pick up an empty.

Only got lost on the yard twice. Did find the trailer, hooked up, then tried to get to the next shipper. Got lost three or four more times (nothing like having your exit torn out…). Then looked at the clock and realized I had less than an hour left to drive for the day. Gave up and started for the Company's Los Angeles terminal.

What do you mean there's no terminal? It's right there on the satcom!

Things change sometimes. Often without anyone telling me. Or updating the files.

Plan B
As far as I can tell, there are three places to park a truck in all of L.A. All within half a mile of each other. And all within five miles of where I stopped to figure this out.

Unfortunately, the place I stopped to figure this out has fuel pumps and a truck wash, but no parking spaces. At all. I've probably worn out my welcome already.

And by the time I've figured all this out, I've run out my 14-hour clock.

But I HAVE to move. And the longer I wait the more trouble I'm in. So. Forward, into a life of crime.

As it was,
all three places were full when I got there. But the third had a space they could let me use after they closed for the day. Just be gone by 08:00, they said.

Oh, and that'll be ten bucks, they said.

Cheap at the price, I thought.

And so
Next morning I went back and found the customer. Lots easier when you have time. And then I fled the city.

It's a lot more fun on tv.

*One of them is a McDonalds.